Duchess potatoes (pommes duchesse in French) are basically fancy mashed potatoes. After mashing and seasoning potatoes, you pipe them into individual servings before baking them until the outsides are golden and crispy. They’re absolutely delicious and deceptively easy to make!
This duchess potatoes recipe is a perfect pretty side dish for your holiday gathering — my sons call them Christmas potatoes because I make them yearly during the holidays! You can also make them ahead of time, which is really convenient during the busy festive season. For more potato side dish recipes, try my easy hasselback potatoes, cheesy potatoes au gratin, or crispy smashed potatoes.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Potatoes — peel and chop 2 pounds of potatoes. I used Yukon gold potatoes, but russet potatoes will work as well.
Butter — you’ll need ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and divided. If you only have salted butter on hand, use ⅛ teaspoon less salt than the recipe calls for.
Heavy cream — Heavy cream adds richness and creaminess to the potatoes. You can substitute with half and half or whole milk, but heavy cream is my favorite option here. You only need 2 tablespoons, anyway!
Spices — a little ground black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg add flavor and warmth to these fancy potatoes. If possible, use freshly grated nutmeg. The taste is far superior to the pre-ground kind.
Egg yolks — egg yolks are a key ingredient in duchess potatoes as they prevent them from collapsing. Save the egg whites to whip up some meringue cookies or a classic gin fizz cocktail!
How to Make Duchess Potatoes
1. Place the peeled, chopped potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are very tender, which will take 15 to 20 minutes. Drain very well. You want to get rid of as much moisture as possible.
2. Place the boiled potatoes in a ricer using the smallest holes. Squeeze directly into a large mixing bowl. If, like me, you don’t have a potato ricer, mash the potatoes in a large mixing bowl using a potato masher or run them through a food mill. Mash until very smooth and lump-free. For even smoother potatoes, press the mashed potatoes through a fine mesh sieve.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter, the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the potatoes and stir until well combined. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
4. One by one, stir in the egg yolks until they’re blended with the potatoes.
5. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the egg and potato mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Carefully pipe the potatoes into 12 decorative swirls onto the prepared baking sheet. They should be about 2½ inches wide and about 2 inches tall. Space them as evenly as you can.
6. Brush melted butter over the tops of each potato mound. Be quite gentle as the potato mounds are delicate. Bake the potatoes at 425°F for 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Garnish them with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Allow the potatoes to cool at room temperature for a few minutes before adding the egg yolks. This will ensure the egg yolks don’t scramble.
- Use a stencil. If you don’t want to eyeball the size of the potatoes as you pipe them and you want them to all be the same size, use a stencil to create 2½-inch circles on one side of the parchment paper, or trace around the rim of a small bowl. Then flip the parchment paper over and pipe the potatoes onto the stenciled circles.
- If you’re worried about them falling flat: You can chill the duchess potato mounds for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator to help them firm up before baking. I never chill mine and they always hold their shape, especially since they don’t contain a large amount of butter or cream, so I don’t consider this a necessary step. But, it’s also a helpful one if you want to prep a few steps ahead of time, and then bake them when you’re ready.
- Use an egg wash. You can brush the eggs with egg wash (1 egg beaten well with 1 teaspoon of water) instead of melted butter to achieve a deeper golden brown.
- Garnish with different fresh herbs. While I love the slightly peppery bite of fresh Italian parsley, you could chop up chives or rosemary instead.
- Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Grate a little Parmesan cheese over the top of the potatoes once they come out of the oven for a rich, cheesy flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
They can be made in advance. After piping the mixture onto the baking sheet, place it in the freezer for up to 3 days. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer, brush with melted butter, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. No need to thaw before baking!
You can make duchess potatoes without a piping bag. Spoon the prepared mashed potatoes into a resealable plastic bag and snip off a corner of the bag. They won’t look quite as neat as if you use a piping bag, but they will still turn out beautiful and delicious!
Like regular mashed potatoes, duchess potatoes are a versatile side that go with a variety of different dishes. For my family or small dinner party, these beautiful potatoes are a great side next to coq au vin or turkey meatloaf. If I plan to serve them for a holiday gathering or Thanksgiving meal, I like pairing them with roasted duck, oven-roasted pork tenderloin, Thanksgiving turkey, or roasted chicken.
Pommes duchesse are a freezer-friendly side dish. After you pipe the potatoes onto the lined baking tray, freeze them until solid. Then transfer them to a freezer bag or freezer-safe airtight container. They will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer, but I like using them within 3 months for the best texture. Bake from frozen for about 25 minutes.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this duchess potatoes recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Duchess Potatoes
Video
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Ricer or potato masher
- Large mixing bowl
- Star piping tip
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes or russet, peeled and chopped (900g)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and divided (57g)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 3 egg yolks
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and cook until very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain very well.
- Place the potatoes in a ricer using the smallest holes. Squeeze directly into a large mixing bowl. (If you don’t have a ricer, mash the potatoes in a large mixing bowl with a potato masher until very smooth and there are no longer any lumps. For smoother potatoes, press through a fine mesh sieve.)
- To the potatoes, add 2 tablespoons of melted butter, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir until well combined. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes. Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time, until well blended.
- Transfer the potato mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe onto the prepared baking sheet into 12 mounds about 2½ inches wide and about 2-inches tall, and evenly spaced apart. Gently brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the tops of each potato mound.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
- Allow the potatoes to cool at room temperature for a few minutes before adding the egg yolks. This will ensure the egg yolks don’t scramble.
- Use a stencil. If you don’t want to eyeball the size of the potatoes as you pipe them and you want them to all be the same size, use a stencil to create 2½-inch circles on one side of the parchment paper, or trace around the rim of a small bowl. Then flip the parchment paper over and pipe the potatoes onto the stenciled circles.
- If you’re worried about them falling flat: You can chill the duchess potato mounds for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator to help them firm up before baking. I never chill mine and they always hold their shape, especially since they don’t contain a large amount of butter or cream, so I don’t consider this a necessary step. But, it’s also a helpful one if you want to prep a few steps ahead of time, and then bake them when you’re ready.
- Use an egg wash. You can brush the eggs with egg wash (1 egg beaten well with 1 teaspoon of water) instead of melted butter to achieve a deeper golden brown.
- Garnish with different fresh herbs. While I love the slightly peppery bite of fresh Italian parsley, you could chop up chives or rosemary instead.
- Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Grate a little Parmesan cheese over the top of the potatoes once they come out of the oven for a rich, cheesy flavor.
